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Classic Star Wars Trilogy Finally on DVD
chinton writes "From starwars.com: 'In response to overwhelming demand, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie, as well as the original theatrical edition of the film. That means you'll be able to enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977, Empire in 1980, and Jedi in 1983.'"
is the nipple still intact?
Monstar L
Who are these people and when can we shoot^Wmedicate them?
Didnt george lucas come out years back with some rhetoric about how DVD was tehsux and lucasfilm would only pump out VCDs or some shit like that? .. yeah .. good plan ..
So wouldn't this be the re-re-re-re-re-rerelease?
There is nothing wrong with being gay. It's getting caught where the trouble lies.
If only they could now release episodes one through three with remastered versions that don't feature lousy acting, shallow characters and crappy plots.
Some say he is made with ascii, others that he is eyeballed daily by millions. All we know is, he is known as the Sig
Is it truly the original? Did Han shoot first?
Software sucks. Open Source sucks less.
You know, there's something undeniably good about Episodes IV, V & VI.
Especially when you see it on the big screen. Unfortunately, I was born in 1982 meaning that I wasn't quite to the point of being able to go see it in theatres when it was released. But the special edition releases changed all that--though the changes George Lucas made did leave me feeling kind of hollow (wtf, Han?).
I would think that the mass turn out to see the special edition movies would be proof enough that releasing the originals to theatres every ten years would be profitable. In fact, I would conjecture that releasing it every ten years would give everyone the chance to see it at an early age and be beneficial to the Star Wars franchise. I know Lucas wouldn't be able to resist changing parts of it but hopefully he'll be preoccupied with destroying the Indiana Jones Trilogy by then.
I did notice that Mr. Lucas isn't cited once in this article and instead we hear from Jim Ward who is perhaps actually interested in what the fans have to say as they are providing his paycheck.
If you were to ask me on any day of the week, "Would you like to go see one of the Star Wars movies on the big screen?" You bet I would. It's immeasurably better than the utter drek that's in theatres now. Oftentimes my friends propose we go see a movie only to discover that there is nothing but pure crap. What does Lucasfilm have that so few movies today lack? Timelessness--the ability to surpass the aging of the film and the advances in technology that every movie today uses.
While it's true I'm a fan of Star Wars so my opinion might be biased, I've never found anyone who's outright hated it.
Well, I got original separate movies for my birthday at a young age, the VHS set of this trilogy when I was about 15, I bought the special edition DVDs in wide screen format a couple years ago and now it looks like I'll be purchasing yet another copy of these movies. Boy, Lucasfilm sure has my number.
My work here is dung.
I bought the four disc DVD set when it came out, but that POS is hitting half.com when I get my hands on this. Finally, no Jabba, no "whoosh!" at Alderaan, no ring of fire when the Death Star explodes, no interruption of the wonderful "Hyperspace" piece at the end of Empire, and...
HAN FIRES FIRST!
[ home ]
I should have known they'd eventually cave to milk another buck out of me. I never would have bought the redux trilogy if I'd believed this was coming. Sad thing is, I know I'll buy them...
Trouble making decisions? Just flip for it.
Well, now we know that even someone like George Lucas can be influenced by the promise of a ton of money. Well... probably not Lucas himself but all the people who can influence him.
So now we'll have the opportunity to purchase yet another copy, bringing some people up to 5 seperate copies of the same set of movies.
That's pretty impressive.
I seem to remember back when they were selling the original films on VHS in the UK shortly before the remastered version came out the advertising said that this was the last chance to buy this version of the film.
-- Sorry, I can't think of anything funny to say here.
There goes half the fodder for Star Wars flamewars. No more Han shoots first...No more recasted Boba Fett...Aiiigh!
Frist p0zt?
Finally I get to hear the real voice for Boba Fett again: "As you wish." :) Rejoice Star Wars fans! :)
Everyone knows what the real classic star wars is ;-)
On a slightly more serious note, I think these guys can give up now...
And on a completely different note, please do not buy this download a high quality torrent instead. Seriously, I remember seeing TV ads for episodes 4-6 before the remastered edition came out saying "Last Chance to buy the trilogy." This was a lie then (as we got the remastered trilogy) and a bigger lie now. Tsk. Lucas has made enough money here allready.
Oh, also checkout original cantina footage (not only does hans shoot first, but greedo has an english accent)
There are shills on slashdot. Apparently, I'm one of them.
It pissed me off to no end when I got the original trilogy on DVD, and they'd replaced the ghost of the "old" Anakin Skywalker with the ghost of the "young" Anakin Skywalker at the end of RotJ.
Is this coming out on Region 2 as well? Ah bollocks who cares i'll just get a region 1 copy.
(1.21 gigawatts) / (88 miles per hour) = 30 757 874 newtons
Yay! And just in time for Star Wars Day!
:-D
May the Fourth be with you.
Like, where Obi-Wan shoots first?
I am still waiting for the Jar Jar Binks edition. The one where the movies are done as they were meant to be, with Luke being replaced by Jar Jar Binks.
The Star Wars TV Christmas specical?
(Google it if you don't know what I'm talking about)
Everyone who wanted to own it probably bit the bullet and bought the re-re-re-re-release already. Lucas is just proving how stupid americans are. You CAN take multiple bites from the same consumer with the same product (or even a lesser one).
obsolete? ;)
Just so I could say "May the 4th be with you".
*drumroll* *cymbals*
Thank you, thank you, try the lobster.
..when they introduce the "Star Wars Christmas Special" on DVD, so we can see it in all it's intended glory.
All hail the Lucas empire!
as if millions of hells had frozen over and were suddenly silenced.
Attractive to who?
alias uptime="echo '5:33pm up 22342352324 days, 6:28, 2124315623 users, load average: 2432.40, 12312.31, 123123.19'"
Nice to see that they're relasing the original versions in the same boxes. Now I can show my kids the versions I saw, and not the "digitally enhanced" (read:bastardized) versions where they cut/rearranged scenes.
w ars-the-changes-part-one.html for a listing of the changes between thr original Star Wars and the 2004 "digitally enhanced" version. No doubt, the DVD release will match those of 2004.
See http://www.dvdactive.com/editorial/articles/star-
I imagine he's bastardized Empire and Jedi as well.
Cruising the internet on my TI-99/4A @ a whopping 300 baud!
I can understand not reading the article, but at least read the fookin summary man:
Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie, as well as the original theatrical edition of the film
Hurrah! Now I can once again enjoy the ending of The Return of the Jedi with the proper, original, Ewok music. That really rocked compared to the wishy washy tat that replaced it.
Altogether now.. dah, dah! dada da dah!
I want a list of atrocities done in your name - Recoil
Come on. Let's not kid ourselves. As much as George likes to pretend he's taking the high ground and being true to his artistic vision (which annoyed me, but at least I could respect), we all knew this would come down to $$$$. In the grand scheme, it's a trivial amount of work to get these DVDs ready to go and the cost of production is trivial. This decision will bring in millions upon millions of dollars into Lucasfilm and there's no way they could turn that down.
It has nothing to do with the pressure we collectively put on them. It has nothing to do with George caving on his desire to keep tweaking his movies.
It has to do with bringing in more moolah. Just keep milking the cash cow.
Um... and I... um.... well... I'll probably be first in line to squeeze the teet.
-S
--- What parts of "shall make no law", "shall not be infringed", and "shall not be violated" don't you understand?
Its incredible how these guys sell the same stuff again and again.
I am glad I did not buy it before. But I'll surely get these versions.
...over spilled milk. by now you should have long understood that a rewrite or new version of SW new ep 1-3 only belong to fantasy. frankly personaly re-release leave me cld. I would rather have new films like sequels.
C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
visit randi.org
This is why I don't bother to watch television: it's full of lies, and most of the lies are much more subtle than the one you mention. Television transmits the ideologies about strength (jocks not nerds), beauty (blonde not black), and goodness (rich not poor) all the while selling you things you probably would be better off without.
And if I were to watch television, you can be damn sure I'm not going take an ad at face value.
This had nothing to do with pressure from the fans. As always, Lucas saw a way to make another buck and jumped at it.
They are "attractively priced" at $200 so the MPAA can recoup the losses that occur when someone who buys the set makes a copy of each disk for individual usage, at 6 disks, $35 for each disk (conservative estimate by the MPAA), they lose $210 (What does the MPAA expect? A user to buy 2 copies?). The MPAA, in their generosity and wisdom, is prepared to accept losing $10 per sale, hence the price of $200
"Sure there's porn and piracy on the Web but there's probably a downside too."
However, if Lucas wants to put out new DVDs, more power to him. However, you know what's funny? Sure, Lucas is releasing DVDs that have the original uncut versions of the OT on them. But note:
If you absolutely have to have the original versions, you have to buy the Special Editions to get them. So if you've already bought the DVD collection, you get to buy it again. So the "OMG!!1! HAN DIDN'T SHOOT FIRST?? I'M SO BUMMED!!" crowd get to buy the version they hate *twice*.
Sure, those consumers will put the other versions up for sale on Ebay as fast as possible. But by the time they sell, the Bluray/HD-DVD version comes out.
The circle is now complete!
Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
The cycle of profit continues. And with extended copyright, Lucas' grandchildren can continue to re-release the same movies well into the next century.
So did people who bought the 2004 DVDs going to buy it now then buy it again when it comes out on Blu-ray? For me it's worth the wait. But as others noted, Lucas is practically printing himself money.
That's the shit that feds me up
Personally ( and I know I might be in the minority here) I preferred the original theatrical release to the 'Director's Cut'.
Mr Scott I have a lot of time for - but in this case, I have to disagree.
Is this a regular ./ dupe, or did they actually release yet another edition?
but only if it comes as an interactive movie, and you get a blaster and a light sabre to creatively redesign Jar Jar's appearance.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
What he said. Now I'll actually buy the thing. I didn't buy the one they have out now since it's not Star Wars as I saw it. It's nice to have cooler explosions and all of that but it's not what I remember. It's not Star Wars and so it never got a penny of my money. About freaking time. Lucas would have been a fine tin horn dictator with his 'my way or the highway' mentality. Fortunately he's not that dictator and only lord over a few movies. It's stupid and arrogant of him to have tried to keep the original from us and it will forever leave a bad taste in my mouth.
Enjoy your Karma, after all you earned it. Feel your Karma Joe, feel it burn.
It's not possible to "enjoy Star Wars as it first appeared in 1977."
Watching a DVD is NOT the same as watching projected film on a screen in a theatre.
But the big problem is, I don't know of any safe way to erase, then subsequently restore, my memories of the past couple of decades so that I can see the film knowing nothing about the movie except a Time magazine review and a friend saying it was great.
How can I watch the 1977 Star Wars without the burden of twenty-nine-years'-worth of accumulated "spoilers?."
"How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!
I suppose this means I can finally retire my laserdisc player. *sniff*... watching a movie just isn't the same anymore without the whirrrr of a 12" disc spinning.
Everyone complaining that "Han shot first" is doing the happy dance from the original end of Jedi.
Lucas is essentially releasing a high grade dvd bootleg of the Uber 1993 Laserdisc release. The picture quality will be 1993 and the sound 2.0 stereo AND you still have to essentially re-buy the crappy 2004 release which comes in the same set. Lucas is such a cock. I know damn well he has perfect, unaltered, un-CGI'ed, versions of Star Wars; he has to have them. But, instead, he is pretending that they were somehow destroyed.
"Jeremy, you need to get to an internet cafe and cut and paste some appropriate sentiments about me from the world wide
In other news, George Lucas returns from his holiday on December 31st.
Any ideas on why the limited release?
Options:
Han shoots first.
Greedo shoots first.
Both shoot at the same time.
Greedo doesn't shoot.
Han doesn't shoot. Greedo accidentally shoots himself.
Nobody shoots. Greedo declares the life of a rogue is not for him, and goes off to enjoy the sunshine
Jabba shoots first.
Now you starwards-nerds can put yet another shitty collection of discs into your moms basement but do make sure to leave room for hd-dvd and blu-ray versions that will be hitting the market as soon as the sales for this collection of POS starts going down.
We had both the original VHS release , and the widescreen reworked release in my house. Both on VHS.
My wife and I agreed that the prequels were such tripe that they were not worth buying. We had a reasonably new dog in the house. The original cut VHS tapes were a victim of that dogs house training phase, and it almost killed the dog. (Not eating the tapes, but my wifes reaction and near murderous rampage when seeing them destroyed)
Now I will have something to put in her stocking for xmas and unfortunately give Lucas money in the process. Also, we will have truely educational and non watered down versions to show our yet to be born kids. (Same reason I have School House Rock on DVD with the unmolested "manifest destiny" track)
I'm a fiscal conservative, it's a pity we don't have a political party anymore
Thank you so much 20th Century Fox and Mr. Lucas :*)
You mean to tell me Obi-Wan doesnt shoot first?
WTF?!
The Dukes of Hazzard had the worst cookie cutter plot lines ever. From the above link:
My work here is dung.
"How can I watch the 1977 Star Wars without the burden of twenty-nine-years'-worth of accumulated "spoilers?.""
alzheimer's
Does this mean it will be using DVD's branching technology or will there actual separate movies on these two DVDs?
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
I just hope the theatrical releases are the cleaned-up and re-mastered versions they made in the mid-nineties. And I hope they're wide-screen!
I don't complain about Lucas printing money. --Aside from movie tickets and a bunch of plastic toys I bought when I was seven years old, I've not paid money for a Lucasfilm product since the Young Indiana Jones tapes came out. --Though, they were dissappointing. They were dumbed down with the Old Indy clips which held the stories together cut out. Silly.
I hope the DVD's don't suck. I'll wait for reviews before I buy. I still love Star Wars; I think it's a great story with an important message. I guess in the war of light and dark, such gambits as putting out a film, (like the last three), are going to be prone to attacks. --You can't have a cohesive message getting through! Might cause people to think a bit too much. Better to fry Lucas's brain from a distance with government rays or something. (I wouldn't put it past them. .
-FL
AP: Why not release both the originals and special editions on DVD?
... I'm not going to spend the, we're talking millions of dollars here, the money and the time to refurbish that, because to me, it doesn't really exist anymore.
Lucas: The special edition, that's the one I wanted out there. The other movie, it's on VHS, if anybody wants it.
Source (9/15/2004)
I'd rather have someone respond than be modded up.
... Lucasfilm have just reissued Star Wars in another format YET AGAIN. George Lucas was seen to be crying all the way to the bank.
In the bar scene on Tatooine Han shot Greedo first in the original.
In the remasters, Greedo shot Han first.
Might not seem like much but some people made a big fuss about it (Holden McNeill in Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back says, "That's the worst idea since 'Greedo shooting first' ").
Some other people aren't huge fans of some of the other edits but that's the big one
I know that the scenes were filmed, and I seem to remember seeing the scenes with Luke's friends in Anchorhead, where Biggs told him he was joining the rebellion (leaving Luke behind on Tattooine). Sure, it's 29 years ago, and I was only nine years old at the time, but I can still remember later reports saying that it was in the original theater release (and the first victim of George's redacting desires). It was one of those things that Lucas didn't want to do, but added because he was told just having the 'droids would remind people of THX 1138 in a bad way.
I personally liked the scenes. It made it easier for the audience to feel Luke's feeling of being left behind while important things happened Elsewhere, and made Bigg's death in the trench more painful.
Classic and Remastered together again... but with different cover art. SW is the Pepsi of SciFi - The choice of a (new) generation. :)
If the Star Wars films were in the public domain by now, as it could easily be argued they "should" be, according to the original idea of copyright law, would we ever see releases on new and better formats?
Now that would be funny: Boss Nass as Vader! And after he says the line he shakes his jowels and makes the "Bluh Bluh Bluh BLuh Bluh Bluh" sound. That, I would pay money for.
Wow, I never thought I'd see the day. Glad I "boycotted" the Special Edition DVD release - I'm sure I'll be snapping this version up when it is released. I guess money won out over Lucases claims that that he would never, ever, ever release the original version since the new (crappier) version was now the definitive Star Wars.
"So did people who bought the 2004 DVDs going to buy it now then buy it again when it comes out on Blu-ray? For me it's worth the wait. But as others noted, Lucas is practically printing himself money."
*sigh*
1-Nothing made people buy those versions. In fact most knew the released versions were different and bought anyway. (I find it funny that the only ones not bitching are LD owners).
2-There are parallels with this situation and video cards. If you are waiting for the card with the Final Fantasy rendering capability? You'll end up with no video card for many years. In other words, there will alays be something new on the horizon, but you have to make decisions based on NOW! Not on what might be done many years down the line. In the mean time enjoy your present-day purchases.*
*Here's your word for today: Patience (aka the opposite of "instant gratification")
...the third box (supposedly containing Return of the Jedi), will be empty, and still retain the original title Revenge of the Jedi.
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
Fans: Original Star Wars on DVD... but something seems wrong about it. Crap, this is the remastered one in which Han doesn't shoot first, and other such travesties.
Lucas: This DVD is my ORIGINAL vision, I'll never re-release the theatrical versions of the films.
Fans: But we really would prefer the original version.
Lucas: Nope, never going to do it.
Fans: I guess it is better than nothing since the Dog ate my VHS tapes. *Buys DVD Set*
Lucas: *Waits two Years* Hey guys, I decided I am going to re-release the old theatrical version of the original triliogy. For a couple hundred bucks, you can see Han shoot first again.
Fans: Finally! Wait a second, we already bought your remastered DVD when you said you wouldn't do this! Now you want us to buy it again?
Lucas: That's your problem, suckers!
"You spoony bard!" -Tellah
so, I wonder if this means that they will be the versions that actually were shown in the theatres, of if they'll be the cuts that are on the original VHS releases?
And I'll be the first to say
May 4th be with you
always
Summation 2
That one galled me more than Han shooting first, and it was mostly because there was so little reason for it to have been there -- I as a 10-year-old understood perfectly that Vader could have caught a shuttle to his star destroyer in the time allowed. I didn't have to fucking have it spelled out for me, and I especially didn't need to see it done so badly. I mean, there were maybe 2 or 3 things in all of the special editions that were done so well they were a pleasure to see -- the re-done Mos Eisley, and the liftoff of the Millenium Falcon from same, but they didn't clean up a lot of the obvious green blotches on the screen left over during the final battle scene, and almost all of the extras were in some way slopped in there. It's like we've got a clone of George Lucas monkeying with his films, because whatever touch he had in the '80's with filmmaking he's completely lost -- he thinks nothing of shattering the rhythm of a scene with gratutious special effects or fanboi money shots. This applies to the new films as well. It's like they were made by a different person.
I still own the originals on laserdisc, but like a complete tool I will probably be buying these re-issues because the resolution is higher on DVD. And my LD player is broken and I can't think of a good reason to replace it.
My book, podcast
I'll try the lobster, but will you be here all week ?
Oh, I can't help quoting you because everything that you said rings true
You know, I'm 35 years old (right in the heart of Star Wars fans' age demographic), and a geek as well. Nonetheless, I have not seen a single minute of any of the six movies. Not because I don't think I'll like them (I very likely will), but I just didn't have the access to them in the theatres or at home while I was young (very rural environment). Since then, I've been "holding out" until the right time to watch the series, and the time apparently has finally come!
(Hey, maybe I can stretch this out another 5 years and hear all the "40 year old virgin" jokes!)
In all seriousness, I do want to savour the experience as much as possible. I figure that I should watch the original releases in the order of their production (IV, V, VI, I, II, III). Anyone disagree?
Look at the tomato! Isn't it sad? He can't dance! Poor tomato!
Personally I thought it was an awful scene, and can understand exactly why it was cut. The original movie wasn't exactly the best acted or best-written ever made, but the Biggs scene was even worse.
I suppose we'll be seeing the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray super-extra-special-re-release about the time someone figures out how to beam images directly into our minds. For a company that brags about being so on top of film technology, they always seem to be a step behing on the consumer media.
While it's true I'm a fan of Star Wars so my opinion might be biased, I've never found anyone who's outright hated it.
You have now.
Shallow acting, lame, unimaginative plot. If you hadn't first seen it when you were a little kid you wouldn't care about it now.
Star Wars junkies are just subconsiously nostalgic. It's psychology.
Depending on how faithful to the theatrical release you want your SW, this DVD release isn't *quite* as good since it only has the original Dolby 2.0 audio and not the 5.1 sound track that was on the Star Wars: The Definitive Collection LD set.
Probably neither would I. But since I did, they won't get any more money out of me now. Sorry, I loved the originals as a kid, but for the same money I could have a box set of the latest series of 24, Lost, Battlestar Galactica, or a few other series of similar quality that have come out over the past couple of years. (OK, none of the above actually have their latest series out on DVD yet, but they will shortly.)
If you disagree, post your argument. (-1, Overrated) isn't your personal censorship tool for views you don't like.
So know I can have a DVD version of the un-edited versions on the shelf next to my DVD box set of the re-release versions next to my laser disk versions of the originals next to the TV released versions I taped back in the early 80s next to the VHS versions of the original re-release that I bought before I had a DVD player.
CHECK PLEASE!
I'm not sure what does it, but when I watch the films I regress to that state of wonder and fantasy.
I am a film snob but star wars still entertains me every time. Something nostalgic or timeless about it, I guess!
Browsing with classic discussion, noscript, at -1 and nested
no hidden comments and I only mod UP
Finally! Another way to donate to one of my favourite charities: The Lucas Family Inheritance
;)
I wonder if he will be re-releasing Star Wars in 3-D in the original, and altered formats?
The money will never run out at this rate
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Once I buy this, I am going to rip it, remove the new versions, and burn myself TRUE original DVDs. I don't want those P.O.S. new versions anywhere near my originals! And if the MPAA comes after me, they'll see who shoots first.
I would like the widescreen edition, but I'll take whatever it is they (Lucas) is dishing out.
Still haven't bothered to see "Episode III" and I've been boycotting Hollywood for several years (by which, I infer that I have not even bothered to download the fucking movie). If this is the genuine article, I will lift my boycott long enough to buy the DVD, and then drop it right back down where it was.
George, you've been blowing it out your ass since about 1988. This is the first god damn good decision you've made since then.
I don't see why they are bundling the original trilogy with the 2004 SE versions. They are out there already. Anyone (that wants them) already has them. Hell, most people that want these original versions want them because they *don't* like the 2004 SE's!
"We shall party like the Greeks of old! You know the ones I mean." - HedonismBot
Actually, they're changing the guns to walkie-talkies.
Redundancy is good And also good.
"If the Star Wars films were in the public domain by now, as it could easily be argued they "should" be, according to the original idea of copyright law, would we ever see releases on new and better formats?"
Actually no it wouldn't, even under original copyright. Copyright says nothing about what format should get released to the public domain, and Lucas could re-release a 2004 version that could get a new copyright because it's sufficiently different from the public domain version, aka a fork when code diverges due to licenses.
*clap clap clap clap*
Send your spendthrift head of state this
Each original theatrical version will feature Dolby 2.0 Surround sound, close-captioning, and subtitles in English, French and Spanish for their U.S. release.
You've got to be kidding me. What's the point?
"I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
-Hoban Washburn
For a company that makes really great 3D animation, the animation they inserted into 4,5,&6 was really horrible.
Can I bum a sig?
OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! OMG! Thank you George for milking me for my entire net worth!
Now the value of my Star Wars LaserDiscs is going to plummet!
Is anyone really stupid enough to think this marketing tactic will work in the age of P2P? What the hell do they think is gonna happen on January 1st when net-savvy customers can't find the movie in the stores?
Modern copyright is theft of culture from everyone and it retards the progress of the useful arts and sciences.
Wasn't the THX technology first introduced in Return of the Jedi? According to the web sites I've read, they will be released in Dolby 2.0 just like in the theatres. I can see IV, and V in 2.0, but shouldn't VI be in THX?
Yay! Another release of Star Wars! Woooo. I honestly cant wait until the original theatrical hdvd version, the original theatrical blu-ray version, the original theatrical umd version, the cg enhanced hdvd version, the cg enhanced blue-ray version, the cg enhanced umd version, the special extended theatrical hdvd version, the special extended theatrical blu-ray version, the special extended umd version, the special extended cg hdvd version, the special extended cg blue-ray version, the special extended cg umd version, the 16:10 widescreen holophonic sound original theatrical hdvd version, the 16:10 widescreen holophonic sound original theatrical blu-ray...
Yes, watch them in production order. What good scenes there are in the prequels are given more weight when knowing what happens decades later.
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it by not dying. - Woody Allen
Today's Star Wars Day: May the Fourth (be with you).
I was amazed to see this. I'm not a Star Wars fan, and the recent movies have made certain that I lost any hint of interest I might have ever had in Star Wars, but, those original movies were pretty decent -- especially for the time. I just assumed they would be on DVD because LucasFilm is kind of known for trying to be state of the art (that is kind of one of the key points of Star Wars...) To hear that they've had a huge potential audience that they just ignored is amazing though. Everybody else had already been putting old movies and even series onto DVDs since shortly after they came out because there's a huge market for that. All this could do was delay how long it took them to get the money off of it, loose the initial burst of fans rushing in if they had released, say, just before any one of the new movies (sales would have really spiked just before those, and an announcement and release just before any one of them would have driven the market wild.) But, hey, they don't need money anyway, right? They're just a business.
Frankly, whoever was responsible for that little peice of marketing should be fired.
I don't really care for the "star wars universe". Lucas has long since ruined the story for me with his changes to the original movies, crappy prequel and in all a loss of the original heart of the story. I think the simpsons had it right when they made fun of the series, and George Lucas, haveing the AT AT break into senate...then sit down to wait his turn to speak. i have the original series on the remasted VHS...and i don't think i have watched it in years. Yes, when i was younger i loved stars wars...i had the ewok tree house too. But since i have gotten older i have realized how wooden, and how badly done the movies really are. I know i am not gonna win converts...but it just seems like anytime Lucas rereleases something from past decades, everyone is on his junk with how great it is. has anyone actually seen that THX movie? Yeeesh.
I thought a trilogy was made up of three things, not two. Only Empire Strikes back and Return of the Jedi were mentioned. Is there some other official DVD release of the original A New Hope that I missed?
I have no idea whether or not this scene was in the original version of the film, which I did see when it came out. It's been too long for me to remember stuff like that. I can say that the human mind has an amazing ability to remember things that never happened. I worked with 2 guys a few years who both swore they saw on TV an episode of _You Bet Your Life_ with Groucho Marx where supposedly the following conversation took place:
Groucho: Why do you have so many kids? (NOTE: the man is said to have had 9 kids or maybe more, depending on who tells the story.)
Man: I love my wife.
Groucho: Well, I love my cigar, but I take it out every now and then.
I read some of a biography of Groucho and the author looked into this. He said that it NEVER happened on the TV show, but a conversation somewhat similar did happen in the early 1950s on Groucho's radio version of the show, which predated the TV version by some years. Interestingly enough, the incident did NOT happen on broadcast, but happened while the show was on a commercial break. If you look on the Internet, this whole story has been debunked at various sites, yet I had 2 guys who were very vehement that they saw this. I told one of them that there was no evidence anywhere to support his story and lots of evidence that it never happened and he basically said "I still remember seeing it."
One of the guys used to tell stories about a couple of Soupy Sales shows he swears were broadcast nationally in the early 1960's that involved some jokes about 4 letter words. I did some research on the internet and these have been debunked, yet this guy swears he saw these episodes. Frankly, it makes no sense at all that this could even be true in that era of broadcast TV, but this guy was about ready to fight you if you suggested that it didn't really happen. Maybe you're right and it was in the film, but sometimes memory plays tricks on us.
"The circle is now complete."
My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
If it really is the original version of the film, it'll be a bit of a bittersweet experience, because I doubt they'll spend all that much money on remastering it... The DVD re-release looks really really great, so if you can look beyond the edits, it's still a joy to watch. Will the original version look like shit in comparison?
Anyway, this solidifies the fact that money trumps any artistic principles Lucas has/had, as if there were any doubt...
What does Lucasfilm have that so few movies today lack? Timelessness
Yep, Star Wars Holiday Special makes people cringe just as much today as it did when it first aired.
I know it's trendy to bash George Lucas and Star Wars and all, but I'm getting a little tired of hearing the same arguments against them over and over.
"George Lucas makes a lot of money, therefore he's a sell-out and evil." Well, gee, I never would have guessed that a guy should expect to make money off a venture into which he has poured 32 years of his life and millions upon millions of dollars of his own money. And let's not forget that when he was first starting out, he fully expected failure. He produced ANH with the movie studios laughing in his face. Even the actors working for him thought it was a little silly.
"George Lucas says one thing, then a few years later changes his mind." Such high standards! I know that something I said a few years ago sure doesn't hold much much water with me now. What do you expect him to do? Read the future?
"Star Wars sucks!" Wonderful. It's great that you're outspoken and all. I don't think you're gonna be able to talk Lucas out of releasing this new box set, but you're welcome to try.
So, we've had an original VHS release, a special edition release, and a DVD box set release of the original trilogy. So what if he wants to release the originals again on DVD? No one's forcing you to buy them. If it's really that big a deal to you to see the original cut vs. the remastered/re-edited versions, then buy them. If not, then don't. It's as simple as that. Don't put the blame at Lucas' doorstep.
Me, personally, I'm probably going to hold out and see what the impending 6-DVD box set will be like. I already have the special edition VHS tapes and the remastered box set. If the 6-DVD box set doesn't include the original trilogy as it was before the special edition re-editing, then I'll just buy this set that coming soon.
"You will pay for your lack of vision..." - Emperor Palpatine to Ray Charles
I think the enhanced version is pretty cool. As it is aparent that there IS a signficiant difference to the original due to the lack of technology and money back in the seventies. However, I'd compile a reedit. Enhanced ANH,ESB,ROJ but with original Skywalker at the end of ROJ (that's gonna cost Lukas 10 years in hell anyway, I guess) and, of course, Han Solo shooting first.
... all do the film some good imho.
The Rest is really worth the tuneup. Mos Eisley more crowded, the one or other neat exterior, better Space and Death Star combat, etc
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
Come take a look at http://originaltrilogy.com/ - these are real fans who've taken the original Laserdiscs(!) and created DVDs with ALL the original content in them.
Top stuff for any fan.
If a square is really a rhombus, why aren't all triangles purple?
I'd personally love to see the version of Star Wars episode 4 that George Lucas showed to his friends before it had the music and special effects in it. For comedy value alone, it'd be great to hear someone shout "bang!" when Tarkin destroys a planet, hear Chewbacca proclaim "that old man's mad!" instead of growling, hear the voice of the person who played Darth Vader's body, as well as seeing all the cardboard cutout stormtroopers.
While I would really like to have the theatrical version, I would LOVE to have an HD-DVD version of all the films. Since he shot in HD with a digital camera, the pictures should be stunning. While some bemoan the acting, there are some fine actors in the first three, so if one has to blame someone for bad acting, you should be leveling your criticism against the director.
is it just me, or is this just another attempt to rape the wallets of star wars loving geeks?
I like Money, give me more money...
I bought a used laserdisc player and the complete trilogy (not the prequels!) for my birthday last year. Lucas, you won't be getting any more of my money. It's nice that you've seen the light finally (though more likely it's just that you've finally realized how many dollars you were turning down in the name of your idiotic "artistic vision and integrity". Sure, I may have to change disks in the middle of each movie, but at least I have the films as I remember them and without making your wallet even fatter.
You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
...to copying my VHS boxed set over to DVD. I can enjoy the new altered versions (well, except for the closing song at the end of ROTJ, wtf was that about, I like the Ewok celebration) but I like the original versions better.
Hell, I was thinking about seeing if anyone wanted the originals on DVD...aw well, guess Lucas beat me to that one.
Am I the only one who caught the fact that these are releases of the new versions on one disc, and the old version on another? So this is buying both movies... this isn't going to be cheap. I know it won't matter for fans, but I still think it's ridiculous. Just release the originals, nothing else, in one package.
Starmen.net
the ULTIMATE ULTRA Star Wars Pakcage for the ULTIMATE FAN -- LIMITED EDITION!!111!!
Contents will include:
DVD 1: SW 4 Original Version Unedited
DVD 2: SW 5 Original Version Unedited
DVD 3: SW 6 Original Version Unedited
DVD 4: SW 4 Edited version with deleted scenes!!11
DVD 5: SW 5 Edited version with deleted scenes!!11
DVD 6: SW 6 Edited version with deleted scenes!!11
DVD 7: SW 1 Original Version Unedited
DVD 8: SW 2 Original Version Unedited
DVD 9: SW 3 Original Version Unedited
DVD 10: SW 1 Edited version with deleted scenes and additions!!11
DVD 11: SW 2 Edited version with deleted scenes and additions!!11
DVD 12: SW 3 Edited version with deleted scenes and additions!!11
COMING OUT SOON:
the ULTIMATE ULTRA Star Wars Pakcage for the ULTIMATE FAN -- LIMITED EDITION!!111!! with Gold DVD Disks and GOLD lettering + footage of the set as taped, including EXCLUSIVE interviews,where the cast ate, where they slept step by step on how to make ALL the star wars models JUST like the set did way back in 1977!! You wont want to miss this onE! this is a LIMITED Version of the already ULTRA LIMITED DVD collection that you have already come to love and enjoy while going broke!
I think he can really claim this is 'how it was' when it's 2.0 surround - that's the best that was available at the time. If he remixed it to 5.1 (even if he didn't insert comedy head-bumping effects this time) it'd still be an 'improvement'.
:)
People asked for the original, that's what they're going to get. That said, I hope it's 'cleaned up' - remove artifacts and dust from the transfer...
I'm so glad I didn't buy the special edition DVDs now - I can retire my bootleg copies of the 'originals' and get this instead.
And not watch the special editions until they're re-released in 3D on HD-DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever
Mark
Liked this comment? Why not buy me something nice
But is it the original orignal A New Hope without that pesky Episode IV tag. I don't want my movie bastardized by another one of George's changes.
about time. I want the same for Blade Runner now.
Isn't the classic star wars already on DVD? I mean, if not, then what do I own and watch on DVD?
Click Click Bloody Click PANCAKES!
Copyright law was invented to encourage the dissemination of arts, not to allow artists to suppress them. Unfortunately it's hard to design copyright law in such a way that it doesn't rule out the possibility of the latter. I'm glad Lucas has seen the light and is now doing the right thing.
-- SIGFPE
Hmmm, anybody want my 2 sets of LaserDisc copies of the original trilogy? The 3 individual movies, and the collectors set with the big ol' book about the series and its production.
No, wait, I'm keeping those. Even if I do have to flip discs over and change them.
Or how about the original VHS box set? Pre-THX version?
The original trilogy DVD set with all the changes?
I might even have the "turn the page when you hear the chime" records/tapes/books from when I was a kid. Could have a sticker book kicking around as well.
Is ANYBODY surprised by this? The moment Lucas swore up and down that he'd never release the originals again, that they'd been destroyed, burned, eaten, crapped out and flushed, we all knew that they'd be out on DVD.
- In hell, treason is the work of angels.
and I'd say that to his face. First of all, I really do believe that this has been his plan all along, at least since he saw the controversy surrounding the 1997 re-releases. Did you RTFA? "Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment will release attractively priced individual two-disc releases of Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Each release includes the 2004 digitally remastered version of the movie and, as bonus material, the theatrical edition of the film." So it's not even a nice, neat little trilogy--you have to buy each two-disc set individually. Great--now I'll own two copies of the version I don't like. You know what? I think I'll give away both sets to people who don't care about the edits--that'll be two more sales Lucas doesn't get--and I'll only keep the original version only. I encourage everyone else to do the same.
"This release will only be available for a limited time: from September 12th to December 31st." Why? What fucking purpose does it serve to only release it for less than 3 months? Is FHE getting out of the DVD-pressing business? You know, I think I just figured it out. I bet that fucker will charge $100 per episode. Lucas' accountants probably crunched the numbers and came up with the price that is the most 99% of all geeks would pay, and he'll make enough in 80 days to retire several times over--again. "Attractively priced" my ass. Attractive to him, maybe. If they're a penny less than $24.95 I'll eat the packaging.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
Ben Kenobi: For almost two decades the star wars movies were enjoyed by all. Before the dark times. Before the Edits.
Luke Skywalker: How did the movies die?
Ben Kenobi: A film producer named George Lucas, who was an idol of mine until he turned to evil, helped the industry change the scenes. He betrayed and murdered the Star Wars movies.
---------------------
Darth Vader: "There is no escape. Don't make me edit you. Luke, you do not yet realize your importance. You've only begun to discover your power. Join me and I will edit your training. With our combined strength we can end this great film series and bring profit to the company"
Luke Skywalker: "I'll never join you!"
Darth Vader: "If you only knew the power of the Movie Business. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to the movies."
Luke Skywalker: "He told me enough! He told me you killed him!"
Darth Vader: "No. I am the movies."
Luke Skywalker: "No. That's not true! That's impossible!"
Darth Vader: "Search your feelings. You know it to be true."
Luke Skywalker: "Noooooooo!"
Darth Vader: "Luke, you can destroy the Movie Business. It has foreseen this. It is your destiny. Join me, and together we shall rule Hollywood as father and son. Come with me. It is the only way."
---------------
Luke Skywalker: "Search your feelings, Lucas. You can't do this. I feel the conflict within you. Let go of your hate."
Darth Vader: "It is too late for me, consumers. The Movie Business will show you the true nature of money. It is your master now."
Luke Skywalker: "Then my movies are truly dead."
-------------------
Anakin Skywalker: "Luke, help me take these edits off."
Luke Skywalker: "But you'll die."
Anakin Skywalker: "Nothing can stop that now. Just for once, let me look on you with my original film."
(Luke disconnects and releases the original films on dvd.)
Anakin Skywalker: "Now, go my consumer. Leave me."
Luke Skywalker: "I won't leave you here; I've got to save the movies!"
Anakin Skywalker: "You already have, Luke. You were right, you were right about me. Tell your fellow consumers you were right..."
"I only speak the truth"
Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
Hope you guys enjoy buying the movies for the fifth time.
BTW, my laserdisc copy of the trilogy still works great~
--- Do you believe in the day?
if it's the same as the laserdisc release, then the 2.0 dolby track is a dolby surround encoded one. I mastered out DVD copies from those laserdiscs a couple years back, decoded and re-encoded the soundtrack to 5.1. tough to get a stereo field out of a mono surround track :)
the most important thing lost from the original 3.
We'll finally be able to dance to the Yub Nub song at the end of Jedi again
*DrugCheese rants*
in the hanger bay...
I don't know if this was in the original script or not, but in the novel "Star Wars" (released before RotJ) Jabba does confront Han in the hanger bay. Of course, as described, he's completely different than the Jabba we see in RotJ, he's in some sort of a container of liquid. I distinctly remember that he is described as jumping up and spinning around in surprise, because he and his crew of thugs are facing the Falcon and he calls out "We've got you surrounded" and then Han says from behind him "If so, you're facing the wrong way."
I don't remember the exact wording or author (a well-known Sci-Fi author... Alan Dean Foster?) and the book is at home, but the idea that Jabba confronts Han in the hanger bay is much older than the special editions.
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
Nice, the "yub yub" song will be back in rotj...
May the forth... be with you
This is seriously ridiculous. How many times are they going to release these movies? How many definitive editions can we have? The demand for the "original versions" of these films has been there since the VIDEO TAPES of the updated editions were released. This isn't a suprise to Lucas. No more new movies = = slow dying revenue streams. This constantly taking advantage of his fans has to stop.
Han shot first!
When I re-watch "Stand by Me" (or read King's Four Seasons) I feel moved. "Braveheart", I never thought very much of it; but almost every Stephen King-based story strikes me profoundly.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Please, Please, this is supposed to be a happy occasion. Lets not bicker and argue about who killed who.
The days of the digital watch are numbered.
superhappyfun.com has the old Laserdisc releases available on DVD-R. As a bonus, you just might get a copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special.
I understand that this is America and we feel an urge to whack off copiously to free enterprise and all that ... but I'm seriously tired of feeling like the gravel in george lucas' drive way ... don't get me wrong, the guy has made some amazing movies, but could he try being just slightly less of a whore for a change?
George baby, I get it already, star wars is nerd crack. You changed the landscape of nerd masterbation fantasies forever. And most true SW fans would love to relive the originals, esp. empire. And of course I, amoung you, want to see the originals again, sans all the CGI and other BS.
And I will see these movies, but I swear by dagobah I won't buy them. Esp. if I have to buy the remasters along with them. George, conservation babe? Save a few trees here and there and bring your ewok constituents back into the fold.
No I won't buy them. I pledge to you george, I will bootleg these movies. I won't distribute, but I will bootleg. And even after I've made good copies, I will bootleg some more. I will bootleg while making light saber sounds. I will bootleg while watching STTNG reruns on spike. I will bootleg just for the satisfaction of knowing there's a few less ounces of imported egyptian marble lining the bidet in your carribean summer home.
I'd gladly pay a bit more if they would sell it without Return of the Tedi.
If it makes some sucker buy it all over again, Lucas is all for it.
That version will be released in a special 9-disc set sometime around 2011.
-David
I have had a laser disc transfer to DVD of the original movies for years. I had to order them when I read that Lucas would never release the movies in their original format.
Now the question is what do I do? Buy the new ones, or just keep my Mandolin knock off replicas?
"Tempt not a desperate man" - Willy S.
I was young too. But I do remember the movie well. And it wasn't there.
But these were older days for movies. Movies started on the coasts and worked their way across the country. It had been out for weeks before it came to Flint, Michigan. So it is possible it had been in early cuts and excised.
But given the clip on youtube is incomplete. Given the unliklihood of an R version of a movie so obviously meant to appeal to young adults (on the "R" cut theory). And given how poor an intro to the movie this scene is. I'd guess it wasn't shown on there in the theatrical release.
The acting sure sucks, I mean even in comparison to the regular acting in Star Wars.
http://lkml.org/lkml/2005/8/20/95
Well, I'm not buying it. Fuck them if they want another penny out of me.
Well, I guess you got to love all the critics out there! Geez, I mean I grew up watching Star wars video's and imagining AT-AT's destroying my neighborhood! I've seen the original, the SE, and the newer ones. Do I like everything that has been done with the series? No. But I have respect for George Lucas and his imagination. As a whole, the movies are damn good! I'd like to see anyone else come up with an anthology over such a timeline to match the cultic experience of Star Wars. Obviously, the newer movies weren't going to have the same effect as the older ones, but why should I shoot Mr. Lucas over that? Come on, cut the guy some slack...you all know you want to buy it anyway! :P
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. ~Albert Einstein
The scene they added (by dubbing Han's Greedo conversation onto the scene) is too close in time to the Greedo scene. It's definitely noticable that Han is basically repeating himself.
:-)
Too bad there wasn't a way to put the scene in with new dialog. As it is, I agree they should have left it out, I was just pointing out that the scene wasn't really new to the Special Editions.
Interested in a Flash-based MAME front end? Visit mame.danzbb.com
for a twenty-one gun salute.
Thank you George! You, or at least someone with decision-making power understood fan attachment to the originals. And, while the DVDs contain the re-edited versions, you're thrown us a bone and actually used DVD's ability to track across multiple versions to deliver the original as well.
Chas - The one, the only.
THANK GOD!!!
Sorry George. I bought bootleg copies (very nice bootlegs) a half a decade ago when you stated publicly that you would NEVER release these.
:) And it's all Lucasfilms fault that I'm not giving them any more of my cash. I didn't buy the 2004 editions (raping the memory of dead actors by replacing them digitally was the limit for me), and I won't buy these.
Now that you've changed your mind, I'm not just going to run out and buy them. Why should I? I already have them. Sure, they may have a bit better video quality, but I'm refusing to give you my $ just because you realized you needed the cash and it meant more than your supposed "artistic integrity".
Too little, too late. You had a good 15 years of me buying everything you put out (FS VHS, Widescreen VHS box set, Definitive Collection LD's, "face" CLV LD's)....but your attitude towards fans, in spite of this 11th hour reversal, just make me not care.
I have no problem paying good money for great product, but conversely when someone like Lucas dicks fans over and over I have no problem going the bootleg/download route. I bet the BitTorrent sites will have it before it even comes out.
AE
Now then, when do they release the original version of Blade Runner to DVD?
Oh, say does that Star-Spangled Banner entwine / The myrtle of Venus with Bacchus's vine?
Damn it! And I wasted bandwidth downloading Laserdisc rips because Lucas insisted very emphatically that he will never, ever release the original unmolested films on DVD. Eh, I'll buy them anyhow.
The Christian Right is Neither (Christian nor right). See: Matthew 23, Matthew 25, Ezekiel 16:48-50
So, does this mean that those guys can stop the work they've done on the X0 laserdisc rips?
This guy's the limit!
The original films have been out on DVD for over a year now. This is just a new "Special special edition."
Sally: Then I guess I did shoot twice.
http://www.xs4all.nl/~mrrob/policesquad/ps2.htm/
Marco...that was Portugese.
I was very happy a few years ago to get my hands on DVD copies of the Laser Disc version.
What I really want is the 6 movie set... or at least the New Trilogy set.
I've heard other orders proposed, but I can't think of any that are significantly better than the original, while some are significantly worse.
Patrick Doyle
I mod down every jackass who puts his moderation policy in his sig. Oh, wait a sec....
Actually, it seems that pretty much ANY jedi can sense another jedi's strength. Why not just have Yoda et al say "hey! This one's teh strong!".
nuff said...
I thought that the introduction of "Short Round" in the Indiana Jones trilogy was not all that. There was a scene or two that made me groan, but for the most part, I thought he was pretty humorous for adults and children alike.
Now, whether a director could get away with that kind of racial stereotyping (without hiding it under and alien's mask, that is) today is questionable.
In Vino Veritas
No pun intended, but I second that. That was actually the worst part of the "new release" changes for me---having to end the series without the Ewok music! ROTJ was the first movie I got to see in a theater, and it was my first experience with star wars... so that wacky "yum yum" music actually has a bit of nostalgia attached to it for me :)
It could happen.
Han Solo's opposed to the Evil Empire and he's definitely a free market type, so the Republicans should be 100% behind him. Now, remember, Star Wars was "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away", so after restoring him from carbonite (or whatever plot token is used to bring him to 21st Century America) his birthdate is way before the founding of the United States. That means that after Dubya grants him citizenship for sheer coolness, he wouldn't need a "Schwartznegger Amendment" to run for President.
So, hey, even taking into account that he's fictional he's got at least as good a chance as Nader.
I find it somewhat dissapointing that one cannot get the original theatrical release in a nice shiney boxset, but this is better than nothing.
I guess my relatively restrained admiration of the films makes me somewhat out of place in this conversation anyway.
--The universe will not be altered by forum threads, even those which are very wry. --Tycho Brahe (Penny Arcade)
"Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed. The ability to destroy a movie is insignificant next to the power of the Force."
with my apologies to Lord Vader.
What ? Me, worry ?
I hate to burst your bubble, but they released the 'box set' of all three of the Star Wars original Trilogy a good while back, 2 years ago just before Christmas I think. I have it on DVD, and while it does not contain the original theatrical release, who would really want that? It isn't anywhere near the quality of the digitized DVD version. So as to compare how good DVD is over film? What's the point, they've demonstrated that already!
No. He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil.
Seriously, this isn't about good in the least. Let me do some translating here. From TFA:
"Over the years, a truly countless number of fans have told us that they would love to see and own the original version that they remember experiencing in theaters," said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. "We returned to the Lucasfilm Archives to search exhaustively for source material that could be presented on DVD. This is something that we're very excited to be able to give to fans in response to their continuing enthusiasm for Star Wars."
Like all PR machines, there's a certain amount of fudging that goes on, let me translate:
"Over the years, a throng of vicious purists have told us that the so called 'improvements' suck balls. What they want to see is the original before we did more damage than repair. There was also a large number of nerds stationed outside George's house chanting, 'Han Shot First.'" said Jim Ward, President of LucasArts and Senior Vice President of Lucasfilm Ltd. "Pretty much, all we have to do is take the last VHS release before the special editions and prime it for DVD release. However, don't make the mistake that we're being altruistic to our fans in any way. The fact is, many of these weak willed nerds broke down and bought the first DVD release and now that their failure is complete, we can sock it to them with yet another release. George loves cash, what can we say? We double charge the weak and now even milk the cash out of the purists that were holding out."
Dammit. Dammit. Dammit.
If you watch the movie carefully, Obi-Wan does NOT meet Anakin until after he has WON the pod race. Prior to that, all interaction with the stranded folks from Naboo was through Qwi-Gon, the Queen, and (ugh) Jar-Jar. Obi-Wan stayed behind on the ship to help with repairs. Since Anakin is the only human to EVER compete successfully, much less win, a pod-race (at six years old, no less), he is indeed a "great pilot" (not 'accomplished pilot').
All the techniques ever used to make men moral have been themselves thoroughly immoral... (Nietzsche)
What about the 1997(?) remastered versions?
Ginga no Rekshiya Mata Each page.
I'm sure I'll add it to my wish list, although the price tag will likely be ridiculous. Better to spend the small sums on the tr47 bootleg DVD release.
Happy goldfish bowl to you.
I'm calling it now.
They are going to put some crappy unremastered version onto this DVD as a bonus, and when people complain that their 1996 VHS version looks better, they will rerelease the THX version on the next DVD set.
One of the few times I've felt good about being too poor to run out and buy something... I never liked the "revised version" prefering my memories of the movies I saw in the theaters when they first came out. So I'll go and buy the original Star Wars and avoid all the others and save my bucks for my insanely expensive health insurance.
I am waiting for a Fight Club 2 with kids beating up each other and a pg-13 rating to finally bring about the apocalypse.
Not only that, it's a musical.
Ever since the last 3 films and Lucas bastardizing the Original Trilogy I would have to say that the old BBC series Blakes 7 is far superior now. In Blakes 7 you got wobbly consoles and cheap ass special effects and spaceships made out of paper mache, but Kerr Avon always shot anyone who looked at him wrong pre-emptively and didn't need an excuse to shoot unlike post Lucas meddling Han Solo.
You had a Freedom fighter, a Cold Hearted Rational Computer Expert, a Thief, a Smuggler, a guy a big as a Wookie but more understandable, a Telepath, and a ships cmputer and later on a "brain in a box" that was just as ruthless as the computer expert. And Blakes 7 came out the same year as Star Wars. Blake was a freedom fighter like Luke Skywalker, but he had to fight Servelan and the Federation and Servelan could kick the living shit outta anakin skywalker in high heels and look beutiful doing so. Plus the Liberator could easily outrun the Mill Falcon.
Sadly Blakes 7 has become better than Star Wars ever since Lucas has Monkied around with it.
Tsukasa: All I really want, is to be left alone...
If either or both of the sponsors of the HD or Blue Ray DVD standards/manufacturers could have convinced George Lucas to hold off until players were really commercially available and for Lucas to only release this set on HD and/or Blue Ray DVD, that would have been a huge boost to those hardware manufacturers. An opportunity missed--I certainly would have bought one of those players earlier than I would have otherwise for the sake of an OT theatrical release DVD set.
Happy goldfish bowl to you.
As a bonus, you just might get a copy of the Star Wars Holiday Special.
You misspelled "divine retribution for copyright infringement."
In this version, Greedo shoots first.
Without Han shooting first, in a preemptive strike, most of the tension (what there is) is removed and the scene exists just long enough to tug one out to future thoughts of Natalie Portman.
This post encoded with ROT26. If you can read it, you've violated the DMCA. Handcuffs please, sergeant.
So here is the REAL question... when the Original release hit the theaters, it didn't say "Episode IV" or "A New Hope" anywhere, not in the scroll text, not on the posters... it was just "Star Wars". The movie did so well, that Lucas decided to add that in in 1981, and release the "Episode IV: A New Hope" version once he realized that the budgets for his sequels were in the bag.
So I ask you this:
IV or no IV? If it's there, or says "A New Hope" anywhere, it STILL isn't the original.
From IMDB Alternate versions for SW:
When the original theatrical version was first released, it was simply titled Star Wars.The opening crawl was changed to "Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope" during the 1981 re-release. According to Sterling Hedgpeth, Lucasfilm film archivist: "I found a box with all the positive elements for the 'revised' opening crawl, and the assorted trim boxes are dated from October through December 1980. This, then, is consistent with the view that Episode IV: A New Hope was added for the first time to the opening crawl for the April 10, 1981 re-release."
I think the main problems people have with it are:
1. The stated reason was to make Han seem less cold-blooded...but under the circumstances, it was pretty clearly a shoot-or-be-shot situation. Particularly in a rough-and-tumble frontier town, it was self-defense.
2. At that distance, how could Greedo possibly miss?
So the change didn't improve anything (even for the stated purpose) and it makes less sense than the original version. It amounts to a self-Bowdlerization of the film, like Spielberg converting guns to walkie-talkies in the re-release of E.T.
Lucas will burn in a special place in hell. The special effects, while revolutionary at the time, will probably make your eyes bleed in HD
The "Collector's Edition" of Terminator (if you think T2 was better or T3 WASN'T a sick travesty, you should know better) editted the sound of Arnold's .45 so it sounds like it's got a suppressor on it, ruining the scene where he kills the first Sarah Conner.
.45 is LOUD!
Han shot first, and Arnold's
Shaw's Principle: Build a system even a fool could use, and only a fool would want to use it.
Personally, the thought Lucas revisiting the original series and adding embellishments to the films doesn't bug me. Any by embellishments I mean updating the original sfx shots to bring them in line with the prequel trilogies, particularly ep3. Should be relatively easy to do that, and it seems like Lucas thinks the idea of watching all six films in sequence is a good idea. However, the simplistic, low-tech space battle scenes in the original series are going to look awkward and pale when it's their turn to be viewed in sequence. Adding in extra ships, etc., to give the original series sfx shots their own sense of grandeur and spectacle wouldn't be a bad thing. Just don't screw with the Death Star trench footage at the end of ep6. Leave that alone.
What I don't mean by embellishments are additions, alterations or distractions to the story itself. Examples of that would include the much maligned Solo/Gweedo alteration, or the addition of the uninformative, useless Solo/Jabba conversation where the falcon was docked. Just because you can do it doesn't mean you should.
Let's face it, Lucas is no literary great. The plot of the original episodes is pretty thin. But what made it great was the (then) revolutionary special effects. Who's mouth didn't drop open when the huge empire ship first crawled across the big screen? Previously, you just didn't see sci-fi effects where you couldn't tell the ship was a pie plate on a string! I remember when it was shown in ONE theater for a YEAR (and this was a major metropolitan area) before it came out in the area--so expectations were high.
It was great, Luke even drove a flying car of sorts.
But the plot was classic: Orphaned boy goes off to seek adventure, meets wise man and a pirate, falls for princess (until he find she's his twin sister) and saves the universe.
But 20 years later those thin plots (in the later films) are not going to work. The special effects are routine. Of course we're still going to be nostalgic about the first 3, but don't be surprised when your kids shrug and say, "What's the big deal?"
If you've never been modded as "flamebait" or "troll," you've never tried to argue a minority viewpoint here!
Go to the book store and pick up a copy of "Splinter of the Minds Eye". Read the Forward George Lucas wrote. He talks about all the other prequels and sequels he planned to make... and compare that to his rantings a few years ago about "I never said it would be nine movies... I always knew Luke and Leia were brother and sister" He had some of his best people quit him while making Jedi because he took a hatchet to the original story so he could quit doing Star Wars and move on to other things. He even made the comment once that he could have directed Empire as well as Irwin Kershner. Is this why he ruined the end of Empire with that damned 'we needed to show Vader getting on his shuttle, flying to his Star Destroyer, getting off the shuttle as a reception committee is there to greet him so no one would be confused'? I don't listen to anything that comes out of that ego maniac's mouth anymore. George Lucas is just plain old full of shit.
My LaserDisc has a scene with Threepio in the control room telling Ben, "artoo will try to make the precise location up here on the computer" or something and they flash through a bunch of 2d schematics on the screen. At least one other version I've seen has that version cut out. Does the "remake" have it?
The LaserDisc jacket also talks about Ben saving Luke from the Jawas. Interesting, that.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
I see that these classic versions are only available as a set with the 2004 DVD editions.
I'm wondering, with the extra time they have had this time if they will take a bit of effort to fix the stuff-ups that occured the first time around. Mr "Three days and 600 Macs" Lowry Digital made some rather embarrasing cock-ups in the 2004 release.
To name the top ones:
1. Terrible lightsabre reproduction due to improperly calibrated colour correction. See First shot inside Millennium Falcon with Luke practising his sabre skills. His "fathers lightsabre" is green. Check out the ROTJ Luke/Vader battle. Vaders sabre changes from light pink to deep red continuously. I don't think Lowry grasped that irrespective of the ambient lighting a lightsabre always saturates the frame.
2. Music in ANH has rear channels reversed. Note that doesn't mean the voices or FX are reversed, just the music. If your sound system is good enough to pick up where instruments are placed in the 'room' this channel reversal ruins the whole effect.
3. Sound levels have been altered, with a bias towards FX. In the Battle of Yavin at some points the music is almost inaudiable.
4. Not a Lowry issue, but please put back "You're lucky you don't taste too good" and "Bring my shuttle" in ESB. Lucas has said they had just grabbed the wrong archive tape at some point and gotten a different take so this one shouldn't be too hard if the archives are still intact.
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
storyboard
... Who Framed Roger Rabbit with the Yosemite Sam speech uncensored.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
There's .... too many of them!
"Nine times out of ten, starting a fire is not the best way to solve the problem." - my wife
Isn't Luke's hat just like one of the goofy peasants in The Hidden Fortress? I can't seem to find a still online from the beginning, so I may be misremembering.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
I can't wait to watch Slashdotters support Han and bash the Preemptive War Doctrine all at once. Let the fun begin.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
Thats the version I am waiting for.
Made to order Star Wars !
...when all six movies are released together. Of course, the price will probably be ludicrous.
I'm just glad to be able to buy them legally... I have the original trilogy as it was on DVD, in three different forms by way of Fan Preservation efforts. The quality is suprisingly good, and it's great to be able to enjoy them as they were, but I always wanted to really own them, to have a real copy of them. And now I can.
Seeing as all the fan efforts are sourced largly from the same Laserdiscs anyways, this should at least be going right to the source they were mastered from, so a good generation better in quality.
As for the Dolby 2.0 sound... That's how it was. I don't want him remastering it. I want to be able to SEE and HEAR it the way it was in 1977, to be able to ooh and ahh at what was accomplished in a SciFi film in the year of my birth. (it was made in 1976, so it matches with my birthyear, not the release year!).
I'm excited.
And I'm happy to be getting the 'redux' versions as well. I have no issue with directors making updates... As long as you can get the originals... and now we can, so I'm happy to have both.
Hurray!
Kind of expensive to buy a new set to just fix the Greedo thing, and perhaps restore the nipple.
I'm actually glad that the Ewok dance number was removed in Jedi - I still think they were worse than Jar-Jar (DOUBLE BLASPHEMY), so I must be one of a handful that likes the remakes for the most part. (BURN THE BLASPHEMER!)
I'm so hardcore, I didn't even bother buying the bastardized original trilogy when it came out on DVD! I was pissed off THAT MUCH, and that was before I even heard they replaced Anakin's Force Ghost in RotJ...
I resisted the temptation to give myself the Dark side... and now my foresight has rewarded me!
too much talky. There's the old saying show don't tell. I don't know, it just seemed a lot like the kinda crap that eps I, II and III where full of (especially II). Pointless crap that belonged on the editing room floor. Still cool to see though.
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Wouldn't you just evenly split the surround track between the two rear channels?
Bah! I want the game version so that I - as Han Solo, of course - can enter the tavern, walk up to the bar, and then calmly shoot the bartender in the face. Then I can quckly shoot some innocent civilians as they stare at me in shock and disbelief, until some of the other "scum and villany" decide they should do something. At which time I would start shooting wildly at them as I duck for cover behind the bar. With any luck, I could get a crossfire going, and they would all be shooting each other until imperial stormtroopers start blasting their way in through the throng of escaping civilians choking the only exit.
I could then ensure the deaths of Greedo, Obi Wan, Luke Skywalker, Chewbacca, that fucking band, as many stormtroopers as managed to force their way into the bar - and of course, myself - by cooking off a couple of thermal detonators and going sapper on the stormtroopers while screaming "may the force be with you, motherfuckers!"
"No problem. I have the capacity to do infinite work so long as you don't mind that my quality approaches zero."-Dilbert
Lucas: These are the releases you are looking for.
*LOL* Yeah, it _is_ that bad.
1. The stated reason was to make Han seem less cold-blooded
But it's good that he's cold-blooded at that point at least, it was him and chewwie out for themselves and their money and nobody else... show's character development throughout the trilogy when he begins to fight for someone other than just himself. (but we all know that)
Very few things leave a lasting impression as seeing for the first time the starships on screen back then.
Or the battle in the Death Star.
Call it nostalgia, but that cinematic experience did not exist before Star Wars.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.